Data processing equipment



1963 D. G. HEBERT 3,100,599

DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT Filed March 9, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' Fig-1.

FROM ENCODER INV DONAL ENTOR D .HEB T BY Ew dL 10 fiams 6 Q ATTORNEYS 1953 11. HEBERT 3,100,599

DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT Filed March 9, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FROM ENCODER I Fig.4

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ATTOR N EYS United States Patent 3,100,599 DATA PROCESSING EQUIPMENT Donald G. Hebert, South Windsor, Couu., assignor to Royal McBee Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 178,779 2 Claims. (Cl. 234-115) This invention relates to data processing equipment and more particularly to a punch unit for inclusion in such a system, the unit hereinafter disclosed being an improvement over that shown in US. Patent 2,997,231.

. One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a punch unit for a data processing machine having punch actuating pawls capable of being positively restrained in either of their two alternate positions. For example, in the punch unit shown in said patent, when a pawl is selected to perform a punching operation, the pawl is pivoted upwardly by a magnet armature until the driving end of the pawl comes into contact with one arm of the punch crank. Since the pawl can go no further upwardly, the magnet armature is being forcibly pulled away from its pole piece during driving movement of the pawl resulting in reduced magnetic pull. Because of this reduced magnetic attraction the clearance between the pawl and the end of the punch crank arm must be maintained at a minimum so as not to allow the magnet airgap to increase to the point where the force of the pawl return spring exceeds the magnetic attraction. Should this condition occur, the pawl would disengage the punch crank arm and a punching error would result. Preclusion of this condition necessitates precise, time consuming and accordingly costly initial adjustment and not infrequently vexatious field adjustment,

Another object of the invention is to provide a punch unit wherein the pawls are actuated to and held in either of their alternate positions by bi-stable or overcentering springs. In the punch unit disclosed in said patent, punching failure resulting from loss of engagement between the pawl and punch crank arm caused by impact induced bounce is an inherent characteristic. As the pawl pivots upwardly at high velocity and engages the lower end of the punch crank arm, the resulting impact causes the punch crank arm to bounce away from and out of engagement with the pawl at a time in the cycle when the magnetic selecting force is insufficient to overcome the pawl restraining spring force which pulls the pawl downwardly and out of engagement with the punch crank arm. This condition necessitates the use of relatively heavy punch arm springs to counteract the bouncing tendency, such springs being incompatible with long machine life.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawing wherein there is shown one embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views:

FIGURE -1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation show ing a pawl and associated punch arm and magnet in steady state or rest position; 2

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 but showing the pawl in punch actuating position;

FIGURE 3 is a view, on a reduced scale, similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the pawl andpunch in actuated position; and j I FIGURE 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view showing the operat-ive and inoperative positions of the punch arm pawl; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary isometric view partly 3 ,100,599 Patented Aug. 13, 1963 processing machine, a pair of spaced vertical mounting. plates which support a horizontal fulcrum bar on whicha plurality of bell cranks are rotatably mounted. One end of each crank is operatively associated with a punch which when actuated by its bell crank will perforate a tape or other data medium. Each crank is in turn operatively associated with an actuating pawl pivotally mounted on 4 an actuating yoke rockably carried by and between the vertical mounting plates. Associated with each pawl and with the actuating yoke is a bi-stable or over-centering spring which acts to releasably restrain its pawl in or out of crank actuating position. When a pawl is selected for punch actuation, an associated magnetis energized so that its armature causes the pawl spring to over-center and pivot the pawl to punch crank operating position Where it will operate the punch when the actuating yoke is rocked. Thus the magnet armature need only overpower the overcentering spring, the spring then efiectively holding its pawl in actuating position with no reliance on the weakened magnetic force for this function.

Referring now to the drawing the machine includes a pair of vertical spaced mounting plates 10 (FIGURES 1 and 4) to which are secured upper and lower fulcrum bars 11 and 12 (FIGURE *1) and a stop bar 13; these mounting plates also support a plurality of selectively energizable electro-magnets 14 each provided with an armature 15 and a pole piece 16. This structure is shown and described in greater detail in the said patent, the subject matter of which that is common to that disclosed herein being incorporated by reference herein.

Bar 12 rockably supports an actuating yoke, generally indicated at 17 which is disposed between plates 19 and comprises a pair of Y-shaped spaced plates 18 having arms 18a and 18b. The space between left hand plate arms 18a is spanned by a stop bar 19 the opposite ends of which are secured to the arms, a fulcrum bar 29 being secured at its opposite ends to plate arms 18b and spanning the space therebetween. A spring carriage and pawl guide and stop assembly, generally indicated at 21, is disposed between and secured to yoke plates 18. As is more clearly shown in FIGURE 6, assembly 21 comprises a bottom plate 22 upwardly from which extend a plurality of spaced pawl guides 23. A spring support bar 24 extends through guides 23 and has its opposite ends secured to plates 18in any suitable manner. A pawl stop bar 25 also extends through guides 23 and may rest in a recess 22a formed in bottom plate 22, the opposite ends of this bar also being secured to plates 18 in any suitable manner. It may thus be seen that bars 24 and 25 securely mount assembly 21 between yoke plates 18.

Bar 20 pivotally supports a plurality of pawls 26 separated by spacers 27 (see FIGURE 4) each pawl including a drive arm 28 and a punch crank actuating arm 29. Each arm 28 is connected by a link 30 to one of armatures 15, the other arm 29 of each of pawls 26 having a punch crank actuating tooth31 and a spring receiving finger 32. As shown in FIGURE 6 each pawl arm 26 is received in the space between adjacent guides 23 and in steady state condition (FIGURE 1) rests on stop bar 25. Each pawl arm 26 is releasably held in this position by a bi-stable or overcentering spring 33, one end 33a of which is received by pawl finger 32 and the other end of which partially curls around bar 24. Each spring 33 is received in ths space between adjacent guides 23 which suitably retain the spring from lateral displacement with respect to bar 24 and pawl finger 32. As the spring has curled ends engaging the bar and pawl finger and, when installed, is under compression, inadvertent vertical displacement of the spring is substantially precluded. It

willnow appear, that when spring 33 is over centered in the FIGURE 1 position it is in a stable condition and biases pawl arm 26 against stop bar 25. As will appear hereinbelow, when spring 33 is over centered in the FIGURE 2 position, it is also in a stable condition wherein it biases pawl arm 26 in another attitude. These two positions or attitudes are shown in full and broken lines in FIGURE 5.

A plurality of punch actuating bell cranks 34 are pivotally mounted on bar 11 whereon they are held in spaced relation by spacers 35 (see FIGURE 4) each crank being aligned with a pawl 26. Each of these bell cranks 34 includes an operating arm 36 and a punch actuating arm 37, arm 36 being provided with a stop surface 36a for pawl arm 29 and a tooth 36b engageable by pawl tooth '31.

Arm 37 includes a finger 37a, which is received in a slot 13a found in stop bar '13, and an articulated joint 37b by which the lower end of one of a plurality of punches 38 is connected to crank arm 37. Arm 37 also includes a lobe 39 to which one end of a spring 40 is connected, the other end of this spring being connected to a bar 41 spanning the space between yoke arms 18a and having its ends respectively secured thereto. Thus spring 40 biases crank 34 counter-clockwise normally to hold its arm 37 against stop bar 13. It will now appear that when crank 34 is pivoted clockwise against the bias of spring 40 in a manner to be described, arm 37 drives punch 38 upwardly to perforate the data medium in the manner shown in said patent.

As noted above, yoke 17 is rockable about bar 12. Thus the yoke is provided with a drive pin 42 whose ends are respectively secured to yoke plates 18 and on which is oscillatably mounted one end of a driving link 43. The other end of link 43 rotatably carries a cam 44 which is eccentrically secured to a drive shaft 45. Thus upon rotation of drive shaft 45, link 43 rocks yoke 18 back and forth about bar 12.

Drive shaft 45 may be intermittently driven by way of an electromagnetically operated clutch mechanism such as that disclosed insaid patent or it may be continuously driven and electromagnets 14 may be synchronously energized by the use of suitable circuitry such as that disclosed in the copending application of Leon Gryk, Serial No. 199,510 filed June 1, 1962 which is incorporated by reference herein.

As disclosed in said application circuitry is provided which is operative in response to control signals generated by a source unit and to timing signals generated at the shaft rate to permit operation of the punch elements by data signals applied simultaneously with the control sig ml, and to effect operation of the punch apparatus tape feed mechanism. As disclosed in said application the application of the data signals persists until after the punch element and tape feed operations have been initiated by the timing signals whereby synchronization between the source unit and the punch unit is accomplished.

in operation, whether shaft 45 is rotated intermittently or continuously, it rocks yoke 17 back and forth between predetermined limits as shown in FIGURES 1 and 3. When the yoke is rocked clockwise to its FIGURE 1 position, armature 15 of electromagnet 14 is swung against pole piece 16 and, if the, magnet is energized from the encoder (not shown) the armature will be held momentarily against the pole piece. As drive shaft 45 rocks yoke 17 counterclockwise from its extreme FIGURE 1 position toward its other extreme position, FIGURE 3, armature 15, being magnetically restrained, momentarily holds link 30 motionless so that continued movement of yoke 17 results in clockwise pivoting of pawl 26. A relatively small pivotal movement of the pawl causes spring 33 to over center; when this occurs the spring takes over further pivoting of the pawl and snaps it to its FIGURE 4 v 2 position where its tooth 31 engages tooth 36b on punch bell crank 34. Accordingly no further reliance is placed on the magnetic force of magnet 14 to maintain the pawl and crank in driving relation.

With pawl and crank teeth 31 and 36b thus interengaged, continued counter-clockwise movement of yoke 17 pivots punch crank 34 clockwise to drive punch 38 up wardly as shown in FIGURE 3 wherein the yoke has reached its other limit of movement. It will be noted that in this position, armature 15 has been substantially swung away from pole piece 16 so that the magnetic force of magnet 14 is substantially weakened. This condition is, however, of no significance, as the over-centering spring 33 maintains the pawl and crank in driving relation, there being no disengaging force such as that exerted by a conventional pawl return spring acting on the pawl.

The yoke 17 having reached the limit of its counterclockwise travel now starts its return or clockwise motion. As it so moves, punch crank return spring 40 pivots crank 34 counter-clockwise until it comes to rest on its stop bar 13. Pawl 26 is reset to its normal (down) position when armature 15 reengages pole piece 16 and causes spring 33 to over-center and hold pawl 26 downwardly against its stop bar 25 thus disengaging the pawl and crank teeth 31 and 36b as shown in solid lines in FIG- URE 5. It should be noted that the laterally aligned crank return springs 40 in addition to functioning as noted also provide a means for cancelling the inertial eifect of the cyclically actuated pawl carrier yoke 17.

It will now appear that by the provision of over-centering spring 33, pawl 26 is restrained upwardly by the force of the spring and the magnet 14 is required only to change the position of the pawl and is not required to hold the pawl in engagement with punch crank 34. Since the magnet is not depended on to maintain the upward position of the pawl, the clearances that {heretofore affected the magentic force of the magnet are no longer critical and the impact induced bounce can be tolerated with no punch error resulting therefrom.

It will now be seen that I have provided a punch unit for a data processing machine or the like which attains the several objects set forth above in a thoroughly practical and eflicient manner.

As other embodiments of the invention are possible and as changes may readily be made in the one disclosed all without departing from the scope of the invention, it is to be understood that the foregoing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a punch unit for a data processing machine, the combination of,

drive means,

means for oscillating said drive means between predetermined limits,

a pawl rotatably mounted on said drive means and rockable between rest and driving positions,

means including an overcentering spring normally holding said pawl in rest position,

control means operative at one limit of motion of said drive means to rotate said pawl against the bias of said spring said drive means moves toward its other limit of motion thereby causing said spring to,

overcenter and continue the rotation of said pawl and hold it in driving position,

and punch means associated with said pawl, said punch.

2. Ina punch unit for a data processing machine hav- 7 ing a plurality of punches, the combination of,

drive means,

means for oscillating said drive means,

a plurality of electromagnets adapted to be energized in synchronism with the oscillation of said drive means,

a plurality of pawis rotatably mounted on said drive means,

yieldahie means comprising an overcentering spring for holding said pawls in either of two rotative positions relative to said drive means,

an actuating member associated with each of said pawls and punches engageabie With its associated r0- tated pawl and responsive to the motion of said drive means for powering the punch associated therewith, and

means responsive to selectively energized electromagnets and to the motion of said drive means for rotating selected pawls.

5 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,726,720 Martin Dec. 13, 1955 2,997,231 Perez Aug. 22, 1961 1 3,018,936 Snowdon et a1. J-an. 23, 1962 

1. IN A PUNCH UNIT FOR A DATA PROCESSING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION OF, DRIVE MEANS, MEANS FOR OSCILLATING SAID DRIVE MEANS BETWEEN PREDETERMINED LIMITS, A PAWL ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVE MEANS AND ROCKABLE BETWEEN REST AND DRIVING POSITIONS, MEANS INCLUDING AN OVERCENTERING SPRING NORMALLY HOLDING SAID PAWL IN REST POSITION, CONTROL MEANS OPERATIVE AT ONE LIMIT OF MOTION OF SAID DRIVE MEANS TO ROTATE SAID PAWL AGAINST THE BIAS OF SAID SPRING AS SAID DRIVE MEANS MOVES TOWARD ITS OTHER LIMIT OF MOTION THEREBY CAUSING SAID SPRING TO OVERCENTER AND CONTINUE THE ROTATION OF SAID PAWL AND HOLD IT IN DRIVING POSITION, AND PUNCH MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PAWL, SAID PUNCH MEANS BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID PAWL AND RESPONSIVE TO THE MOTION OF SAID DRIVE MEANS FOR PERFORATING A RECORD. 